New bits for the bike

With the weather here still bitterly cold, I fitted a windscreen I’d had sitting in the back of the garage since last summer, in an effort to keep the cold at bay. I’d also bought a pair of wrap-on heated grips at the bike show, so thought I’d fit those as well. The fitting went well, once I’d realized that the six pages of instructions for the screen fitment were in fact one page repeated in six different languages (I know..but I never read the words, just look at the pictures).


So, all kitted up, I went for a ride. The screen sort of does its job of keeping the wind off my body, but is very noisy and creates a hell of a turbulence at the top of the screen, enough to move my head around and blur my vision at 60mph. So that’s coming off again. The heated grips worked well, although due to the design of being wrap-on, they inevitably make the grips much larger diameter; probably not suitable for Ladies with small hands. Still, I only envisaged them as a temporary measure, to be removed whenever the weather warms up a bit.

I still only managed 10 miles before the fingers stopped working though – let’s hope spring soon arrives with some warmer temperatures.

Clean screen

Big hands needed

I've been thinking.....

Thinking...a very dangerous thing to do. Anyway, now I'm skint courtesy of HM Tax inspectors and can't afford a new bike, I started thinking maybe a few little modifications would help me feel happier about keeping the Triumph. So there is a business quite close to me that make and fit modified seat units for Thunderbirds, they really clean up the rear end and make the bike look a little swoopier. The only disadvantage I can see is that there's nowhere for luggage, so I'd have to carry my sandwiches in a backpack. What do you think? Oh and here's the website www.retrocaferacer.com

Pristine but slightly boring Thunderbird

                                                                      Sexy rear end!

 

Plans delayed

Due to an unanticipated turn of events, the purchase of a new bike has been delayed – Her Majesty’s Government and myself have had a slight disagreement over the amount of tax I should pay this year, and despite some, ahem, creative accountancy, all plans for new purchases are on the backburner.

On the positive side, the Triumph is back home with oil leak cured, and my beard is growing luxuriously voluminous, as you can see from the poor quality snap attached.



Motorbike show at Excel London

There hasn't been much motorbike activity here recently, due to (a) snow, (b) the Triumph springing yet another oil leak from the new engine, then deciding to kill two batteries in quick succession. So for a nice change, I took the day off work yesterday and went to the London Motorcycle show at the Excel centre. In recent years this show has been a bit....boring, but I must say this year I found it most enjoyable, maybe because I'm actively looking for a new bike, and there seems to be plenty of new models around. I must admit for having the hots for the new Honda CB1100, as apparently did every other biker over the age of 55 yrs to judge by the huge crowd around it; unfortunately when I did manage to fight my way to the front and sit on  it, it proved too small for my lanky limbs.

Picture from internet

After sitting on just about every other bike at the show, I seemed to have narrowed the list down to Triumph Tiger XC, BMW800GS, Ducatti Multistrada (oops, too expensive), BMW R1200R (too expensive) and Triumph Thunderbird (too expensive) - which isn't much of a list if you take away the one's I can't afford.  In fact, after checking out the prices of the two I thought I could afford, it seems like I may just be in the market for a used Bandit 1250, provided I can fix the Triumph and get a reasonable price for it on e-bay.

So I decided to just keep on looking around the show and admiring all the custom, specials and classics of which there were a lot more this year than previously. Here's a few photos.

Old Indian on Victory stand (I think Victory have just bought Indian)

I know its a car, but it was very well done

Trekking in the Atlas mountains

Me and LF escaped the rotten British weather in December, flew to Marrakesh in Morocco.

 Got picked up by our guide and set off for a walk in the Atlas mountains. Had a great time, lost a bit of weight and my big toenail right foot (ouch).

                                                 Got a new hat for my birthday.

  After a weeks walk we went back to Marrakesh and spent a few days chilling out in the sun. Spent New Years eve in bed instead of trying to fight the crowds to see the fireworks. All-in-all a nice relaxing time. Got back to London a couple of days ago, start work tomorrow (I need the money).

Interesting...

On my way home from the hospital I called in at the Heritage museum in Gayden, just off the M40. Lots of beautifully preserved old British cars, and a number of unusual prototypes and display items.

Very handy for slippery driveways once winter is here

Not sure what this does, but I'd love one in the garage

They say the best MGB is one cut in half

Me and the kid out for a Sunday morning ride

Had a good visit to the hospital; the cancer seems to be secondary & slow growing so I'll rely on my alternative therapy and a watchful eye from the hospital - I'll try not to mention the problem again here and concentrate on motorbike stuff.

On my way home

I spent three weeks in Dr. Romero’s clinic – treatment seemed to go well. We had a week to get back down to Cancun and our flight back to the UK, so we hired a car and went for a little tour. 

Doctor, LF, Seb the nurse

Fearsome Injuns, Hermosillo

Old Ford truck, backstreet Hermosillo

First stop was up in the hills alongside the Rio Sonora about 4 hours North and East from Hermosillo; got to the town of Acinipo then an hour up a dirt track we reached the hot springs. Seeping out of the ground the water is burning hot, there’s a series of baths constructed down the hillside that get progressively cooler down to about just bearable. We spent hours relaxing in the baths getting them good minerals into the body. Pretty isolated so we slept the night in the car then carried on bathing the next day till our skin got so wrinkled we had to leave.

Overnight accommodation at the hot springs

Hot springs

Chillies drying in the sun by the roadside

Next stop was down to the coast – San Carlos is a nice little town full of North American snowbirds, plenty of decent hotels, nice deserted beaches and good restaurants – we took a moonlight cruise around the bay in a little fishing boat and chilled-out for a couple of days.

San Carlos harbour

Full moon on the bay

Rugged coastline, deserted beaches

Next we headed back up the coast to Kino Bay; more great sandy beaches; walked up to the church on the hill to watch another sunset over the sea of Cortez.

Great views from up here

Statue outside church

We were having lunch one day in Casablanca, a great restaurant run by an American lady, when I spied a hummingbird in the greenery; crept around trying to get a photo of him, amazingly he didn’t fly away – says the owner “oh he lives in that bush, chases away the butterflies” so I managed to get a picture of him with me, although LF reckons ‘cos my shirt was the same colour as the flowers he didn’t spot me.

Hummingbird doing his stuff

Taking a break

Hummingbird ignoring El D

(As an aside, found out some information for Trobairitz or any other vegan heading for Mexico - don't eat the refried beans, they cook the beans in chicken stock, the blend them and re-fry them in pork fat.)

Kino beach from La Playa hotel

Weird-looking fishing boats

Pelican Island fro La Playa hotel

All too soon it was time to fly down to Cancun and home – 3 days travelling to get home to cold wet November England. Now I’m sitting in a hotel in Manchester, appointment at the cancer clinic tomorrow for a check-up; I’m hoping the treatment in Mexico will show up as an improvement, but regardless, my time down there opened up my mind to alternative possible life styles – I don’t have to live in London with all the stress that comes from a big city. Me and LF are hatching plans – we’ll see!